Men enter tough losing streak over weekend

FLYING HIGH: Guard Tim Reale ’17 leaps and extends for the fastbreak dunk against the University of Rochester on Feb. 5.

The men’s basketball team was unable to stave off another losing streak after dropping their second and third consecutive games.

In their two matchups this week, Brandeis came out strong but could not pick up the victory over Carnegie Mellon University and was blown out by Case Western Reserve University. The squad’s overall record fell to 7-14, as these losses were their seventh and eighth in 11 conference games on the season. While the Judges left it all out on the court, the powerhouse Carnegie Mellon team moved up to third in the conference standings, and Case Western managed to pick up just their second conference win of the season.

Judges 66, Case 88

Brandeis suffered a tough defeat at the hands of Case on Sunday by a score of 88-66. While the upset was not set in stone after a first half score of 37-30, Case pulled away in the second half with 51 points to Brandeis’ 36. Case scored a ridiculous 63 points off their bench, compared to the Judges’ six bench points, and played at a level that the Judges could not keep up with.

Guards Nate Meehan ’18 and Robinson Vilmont ’17 led the way for the Judges and impressed on the court despite the loss. The hard-working Vilmont notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also added four assists and led the game with three steals. Meehan picked up 13 points, three rebounds and an assist. He also made his presence known on defense with a pair of steals.

Judges 78, Carnegie 64

Brandeis fell to Carnegie Mellon on Friday in a hard-fought battle 78-64. Carnegie Mellon outscored Brandeis by eight and six points in each half, respectively, showing that the Judges could keep the game close and competitive throughout. The squad was down by 24 at one point before bringing the deficit to 14. However, they were unable to fully rise up over their opponents as they came away with the defeat.

The game came down to execution off turnovers and play down low. The Judges were outrebounded 42-31. The team had five fewer offensive rebounds, leading to a significant deficit in points scored in the paint and second-chance points. Carnegie Mellon outscored Brandeis down low 26-12 and had eight more second chance points. Carnegie Mellon was able to make the most of the Judges’ mistakes, despite the Judges only committing two more turnovers than their opponents. They had 23 points scored off the 16 turnovers, compared to Brandeis’ 12 points scored off 14 turnovers. While the Judges played well overall, they will have to work on correcting their mistakes while looking to capitalize on those of their opponents.

While the squad was unable to come away with the victory, Meehan and Vilmont once again had stellar performances for the talented Judges. Meehan shot an astounding five-of-eight from three, en route to 17 points on the day, as Carnegie Mellon could not find a way to stifle his hot hand. Vilmont once again proved that he can do it all for the Judges. The senior shot three-of-five from behind the arc and knocked down nine free throws to lead the game with 24 points. The guard also led his team with seven rebounds and four assists. He even grabbed a steal on the defensive end as he carried the team on his back. He has been a true spark plug for the squad all season with his hard work.

The Judges have had extremely impressive play from all members of their squad lately but will need to come together as a unit to ascend the conference ranks. Brandeis has a terrific leadership core but will need more contributions off the bench to keep up with their strong conference opponents. With only three games left in the season, the Judges will have to play at their highest level to attain double-digits in the overall win column for the year.

Brandeis will look to get out of its slump and pick up its eighth win of the season — and fourth in the conference — at home against the University of Chicago on Friday.